BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
In 2005 Hull was voted the worst place to live in Britain in a Channel 4 poll. Rising up against this title a City Centre Master plan was drawn up. Its aim was to channel investment and development – creating a vibrant waterfront city, with shopping outlets and city-centre living.
It’s a long way from the Hull of old. Once reliant on the fishing industry, Hull’s busy port made it a prime target in the Second World War. Bombing destroyed the city, and the concrete re-build was hardly pleasing on the eye.
Michelle Dewberry is Hull born and bred – and as the winner of the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’ one of Britain’s brightest young entrepreneurs. In this film she takes close look at the plans for her home city – examining what’s shaped its current architecture, and where it’s going in the 21st century.
Boasting one of the largest council estates in the country, there’s little wonder Hull has a dubious stereotype, so is the idea of Hull as a modern, European seaport with its trendy waterfront apartments just a dream – or as the gateway to the continent could it become a reality?
Michelle visits the haunts of her childhood, relives her memories of life growing up in Hull and as she explores the building sites that will soon become its crowning glory, asks whether it can ever be an architectural success.